The Advocacy Service supports people who have mental health problems to speak up for their rights, either individually or as a group.

The service is free, independent and confidential. It is for people aged 18-65 years living in Cambridgeshire.

What sort of help do you provide?

The service is client led, which means you decide what support you want when you need help. In brief, advocacy can help you do the following:

• Discuss concerns                     
• Find information
• Understand the situation
• Make informed choices
• Express your point of view.

The above applies not just to your health but can include:

• Housing
• Employment
• Benefits
• Social services
• Family
• Medical treatment
• Criminal and civil law.

In practical terms, we can help you make telephone calls, write letters and go along to appointments with you.

Who are we?

We are independent of all services such as social services and the NHS.We are managed by Peterborough and Fenland Mind - a local mental health charity, affiliated to national Mind. All advocates including volunteers are trained and they work to our Code of Practice. The Advocacy Service has been awarded the Community Legal Service Quality Mark. We get our funding from Cambridgeshire County Council, the Greater Peterborough Primary Care NHS Partnership and local (NHS) primary care trusts.

Who do we help?

Anyone aged 18-65 years, who lives in Cambridgeshire and has personal experience of mental health problems.

What do I need to do to receive support?

You can contact us yourself by phone or email to make an appointment or you can ask someone you know to phone and make the appointment for you.

Referrals: We will also accept third-party referrals eg from health professionals but you must have the client’s consent first. If you feel your client would benefit from advocacy but are finding it difficult to explain the service, we can make an initial contact to offer our assistance... and our leaflets (see above) may help.

How long can I use the service for?

We can help you whenever you require support, for as long as you want.

When and where is the service available?

We have appointments:

Mondays to Fridays: 0900 to 1600 hrs

It may also be possible to make an appointment outside of these hours - just ask us.We work with people both in hospital and in the community. You can come along to our local office, or we can meet you at a place of your choice, for example a day-service or a café. If you are in hospital, we can arrange to visit you there. We will do home visits for people who find it difficult to leave the house.

Visit the website here

You can e-mail us: enquiries@cias.org.uk

Or write to or phone your nearest office:

Cambridge Office:       
Box 322, Therapy Resource Centre, Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge CB1 5EF
T 01223 218500

Fenland Office:
Old School Buildings, March PE15 8AN
T 01354 652445

Peterborough Office:
5 York Road, Peterborough PE1 3BP
Tel: 01733 758278

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